Martinsburg gazette. (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1886-1887, 1887-01-28
CASTOR BEANS.
A LEADING INDUSTRY IN TWO
ILLINOIS COUNTIES.
Preparing the Ground and Planting
Harvest Scenes Popping the
Beans 81 Pressing Out the
Oil-Using the Refuse.

acreage is over 0,U0O, Jefferson and
Franklin counties having perhaps the
largest amount Of territory used in rails
ing the article. "A Chicago Tribune cor
respondent, writing from Centralia. says
"A soil that viii answer for wheat or
corn will suffice for the castor bean.
Wet, heavy soils cannot be utilized. The
sandy loan is always preferable. Soil
for the planting Of beans should be pre-
pared about the same as for corn or
wheat. The ground is laid off in rows
six feet apart, the seventh row being
omitted to allow vehicle TO pass through
to gathe. the beans when ripe.
The seeds are put into very warm
water and allowed to remain twenty four
hours before being put into the ground.
Unless this is done they do not terminate
properly and are long time showing
themselves above the ground. Some
people take the precaution to put sey-
eral unsoaked seeds into hill for fear
the cut worms may take the first TO
sprout. and the other will eventually
take their place. Planting eight seeds
to hill q bushel will plant fifteen to-
twenty acres, and the planting should be
done after frost time as frost quickly
d stroys the plant The cultivation o I.
the growing crop is about the sine as
corn, the weeds being destroyed and the
earth kept OPP ii and mellow. When the
plants have received q good start the
number III each hill is reduced to one or
two. One trong, healthy plant will
produce better results th two in the
same hill. When the plant reaches the
height Of two feet it is capable of its own
care and needs no more attention, except
after heavy rains, which make it neces-
sary to 60 through the field with culti-
vator, breaking the crust which has been
formed.
When August comes in the e ms be-
gin to ripen. They are produced in pods
or husks on spikes of various lengths,
and should be gathered as soon as the
pods begin to turn brown to prevent
their loss by popping out on the ground,
as beans when Ilpc pop or burst from the
pod and fly off quite distance. They
are gathered by cutting off the entire
spike, of which each plant has num-
Der, being produced and ripened in sue
cess;oE until frost. Ct course none but
the brown pods are cut These spikes
are then thrown into wagon or sled
passing Through the broad rows and
hauled away to the popping yard, which
is made on piece Of land near the beam
field, sloping to the south so as to get as
much benefit from the sun as possible.
There are two ways of making the pop
ping yards. BY some the sod is cut off
and the ground rolled down hard and
fence made around the yard to keep the
popping beans from getting away. An
other plan-and that Is considered best
lis to build a big floor, around which
muslin or eanvas to the hight Of ten feet
is run, the top being left open to admit
the sun. The spikes are placed on the
/ floor, the action of the sun makes them
pop, and they are kest turned and
stirred up until the beans have all left
the husks. The same process is gone
through with until the entire crop has
thus been shelled. Care must be taken
not to allow the beans to get wet, as it
ruins them. Tho mass of husks and
beans, ter the popping process is over,
is put into tanning NIL and cleaned,
when the beans are ready for the mar
ket. Board floors are best because they
prevent the mixing in of small stones
and bits of earth, which cannot.be taken
out with the tanning MILL The floors
are generally painted black, the idea be-
Ing that black draws the SUM- After the
beans begin to ripen the field is gone
over about twice week until frost.
This work is done mostly by children. in
which so many Southern Illinois families
are SO prolific, some having as many as
twenty three in family. Three brothers
down here have between them seventy
two children, who have probably gath
cred enough beans in day to furnish
physic for the earth